Cinerama: Maze Out & Falim House

Cinerama at the Singapore Art Museum @ 8Q was a thought-provoking exhibition for us on many levels. At first glance, one would not have imagined the depth of the stories behind each of the artworks. Each artwork questioned our understanding of the countries these art pieces derived from. Two artworks that caught our attention were oomleo’s Maze Out (2017) and Hayati Mokhtar’s Falim House: Observations (2013 – 2016).

 

100 Things, 100 Beer Bottles (with SUHWEE)

We started this project by brainstorming a list of ideas and eliminating those that we feel might be too costly for our poor pockets. We really like the last two ideas of using beer bottles and servos motors as we found them interesting. After a few discussions we decided to go with beer bottles and approached the drinks stall in kopitiams (coffee shop) around the school and near where we live. We found that many of these coffee shops recycle used bottles by returning to the sellers at 20 cents each. Most of them were not keen on selling or loaning the bottles to us as it was too much of a hassle.

  • The abandoned: Using beer bottles and plastic bottles [disposable objects] can be queuing to the dustbins
  • beer bottles
  • plastic bottles
  • leaves
  • paper bags
  • plates (disposable)
  • cups (disposable)
  • cans (empty)
  • cardboard boxes (used)
  • clothes peg
  • servos motors [since LPD has a lot]
  • safety pin
  • notice board pin
  • handyplast
  • toothpick
  • colour paper
  • paint tube
  • our A2 drawings LOL like is art consider as art when place at different place
  • photographs?
  • rubber bands
  • hair clip
  • candle
  • beer bottles/servos motors/ 
Retain events of humans 
- can link to foreign workers where they are ostracised by locals. Most of them gather around these places 
grass field / park on their free days, construction sites, kopitiam 
- Technology advance [place at raffles place] 
- put like as if its servo motors that run the show 
- sun bathing, go down stair case 
- spot light like in theatre 
- cinema 
- paper crane in the stomach
Plans on Friday
School compound
– carpark parking lots [mimicking cars]
– Tall areas to shoot down [Lobby, ADM roof, or level 3]
– School swimming pool [they are diving or playing]
– Lift [carpark lift]
– Mix with another type of beer bottle [in a mess]
– Sun bathing at sunken plaza
– Foot steps of bottle trace [can use the paper from drawing room]
– staircase [in sequence]
– Basketball court [using the ball to create movement]
– Bus stop [the queue @ busstop]
Su Hwee’s house
– Sand [maybe i can bring some bottle home]
– Coffee shop
– Void deck

Initially, we managed to get a good deal with a steamboat shop at Chinese Garden who was willing to sell a used China Beer bottles to us at 20 cents a bottle. However, we were quite lucky that Bao and Zhou Yang attended the CoHSS event in school and they found many used bottles (thanks!). They helped us keep the bottles and saved us a lot of trouble with transport. We managed to collect 107 bottles! We broke 2 of them while arranging them and gave 5 away to film students.

Things we have learnt:

  1. Unity is strength
    Smaller objects, when placed at bigger space are less visible [e.g. when placed at the sunken plaza] however placing them in a cluster makes them more visible
  2. Lighting is key
    Playing with lighting can help us to create mood and feel
  3. Help from friends
    Sometimes we need more hands to help us. We were quite thankful that
  4. No time to be glam
    Iit was tough work cleaning, laying out the bottles and taking photos of the bottles
  5. Is there a need to impose meaning on objects?
    We struggled with whether or not to impose a story or a meaning to the objects but in the end decided to let the viewer come up with their own interpretation
  6. Learning to adapt to the space and unforeseen circumstance
    Despite planning beforehand, there were many unforeseen circumstances, such as the change in bottles, the rain, we found ourselves having to adapt to these spaces, which is what makes this mini project so unique.

Basically, we just let our ideas flow and experimented with our ideas as much as  we could. Although some photos might not have turned out as intended (like the Beer Belly shot), we were happy with the results. During the shoot, we also explored the use of space, angles and lighting to create different context for the same bottles.

The bottles also created opportunities to interact with the passersby, most of them were curious and asked questions about what we were doing. It was interesting (almost hilarious) to watch them interact with the space that was filled with bottles.


 


Process

 

Thoughtful Interaction Design by Jonas Löwgren and Erik Stolterman

As designers, it is important for us to understand what our role and responsibility is about. Regardless of our disciplines, it is important to know the difference between being a designer and an artist. A designer is often given a brief and a problem to solve using design solutions, with each of these challenges targeted at a certain group of people. This reading further elaborates on the role of a designer as a problem solver and a mediator between the client and the users.

It is easy to forget the role as a designer when the workload becomes overwhelming. Many of us tend to choose the “easy” way out, using existing design solutions to fit into a new client brief so as to complete the project within the stipulated time frame. The reading emphasises that no design process is the same and the outcome is never perfect. Designs are solutions to the environment and society that is constantly changing with time. Therefore, a design that solves an existing problem may not necessary solve another problem of the same nature.

Ninshin Baaji – Japan’s Maternity Badge
An example of an artwork I find thoughtful and reflects the concepts discussed in the reading is the design of maternity badges in Japan and South Korea.

Photo Credit: Yuya Shino / REUTERS / 達志影像

As a move to encourage working mothers, these badges serve to better the experience of pregnant women in their workplace and public spaces. On a public transport, these badges inform those around them to be more aware of them and give up their seats so that they will have a more comfortable ride to work. It also helps in an emergency, as a medical personnel will be more mindful of their unborn child should they have to exercise medical attention.

Photo Source: https://woman.mynavi.jp/article/160106-124/

Pink Light – South Korea

Source: http://english.busan.go.kr/bsnews01/795567

In South Korea, a similar system was rolled out on the public transport. A pregnant woman with a badge triggers a sensor on the train that will alert a fellow consumer so that they will be given a seat on the train. The visual cue alerts commuters of a pregnant lady on-board the train.

With such a small badge, it is easy to go unnoticed in a crowded train. This Pink Light system better alerts commuters of a pregnant woman during a peak hour. Commuters who are engaged with their mobile phones will also be able to respond faster with such an alert.

In Relation to Core Concepts
In this example, the society has to adapt to the digital artifact (the badge). This artifact also seeks to improve the lives of a targeted group of people – in this case, pregnant women. It solves current issues of pregnant women who may be in their early stages of pregnancy or when their belly are not as obvious. Both badges (Japan and South Korea) help fellow members of society become more aware of pregnant women in the public. Both design process are unique in their own way and its outcomes vary in relation to the environment they were designed for.

I think this reading serves as an important reminder for us all in the design process and this is what sets us apart from artists. It summarises the role of a designer in a succinct manner.

“The designer…has other considerations as well. [..] A designer is also a citizen in a society and a member of a group that possesses specific professional knowledge.”

Designers are not just tools of creativity. They are problem solvers and educators. The end goal should not be a design that feeds our ego but a design that seeks to improve the lives of fellow humans, however minute it may be. It is crucial to understand this concept so that we will be able to create a thoughtful design for others.

The Oceanic Afterthoughts

The Oceanic exhibition and lecture series at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art discusses the issues pertaining to the ocean that the world currently faces. The provocations and case studies presented by the panel raised awareness about the relationship between the people and the environment, giving insights to the indigenous folks whose livelihood depended on the ocean. Dr. Cynthia Chou, an anthropologist, in her case study sums up an interesting point about space, that it is a “range of knowledge, history [and] resources”, “a condition for biological survival…shaped by historical experiences of ancestral estates”. The study of the Orang Suku Laut brought about new understanding in the history of Riau, Indonesia. It made me question the relationship between humans and the environment. Although we do not depend on the ocean for our livelihood, our actions directly impact its ecosystem. What role does the artist then play in the environment? Is law the only way out in preserving the spaces of indigenous folks and the ocean?

The artwork (installation and video documentary) by Laura Anderson Barbata presented in the exhibition shows how performance can indirectly communicate a message with the audience. Her research at the expedition led her to create several pieces of costumes (inspired by the traditional indigenous costumes) to be worn by performers for their performance at the United Nations Plaza in New York. Her chioce of location placed emphasis and importance on the first UN Ocean Conference held in New York City. It was a work that shows our physical and emotional relationship with the ocean and combined spoken word, dance, procession, music, and costume. She describes this piece of work as a protest.

Her description of her work came as a surprise to me. Can something as beautiful as a dance piece be a work of protest? The dancers’ costumes were created by the artist after her stay during the Kula Ring Expedition. I find this aspect interesting because the materials she used for the costumes all derived from the expedition. Sometimes though, I wonder if more could be done for the communities that we create the artworks from. Besides taking their narratives and turning them into artworks for the masses, is there anything else that we can do to ensure continuity of a project with the community?

Ocean Calling is inspired by all the forms of life that make the ocean their home, as well as by the people, the histories and the cosmography of the communities that for millennia have lived in close relationship with the ocean. The work will unfold in an urban environment highly dependent on the health of the oceans, even though it may not be overtly obvious to our urban communities. Ocean Calling will invite audiences to first acknowledge our intersecting identities and then, to celebrate and honor them by changing behaviors to protect our oceans.
(Source: http://www.worldoceansday.org/)

Our attention span has shortened with the advancement of technology. However, such a performance captures your interest and the curiosity of the performance encourages you to find out more about the artwork as well as the underlying issues that it is trying to put across to the audience. I think the presentation medium is an important aspect of any art process. The outcome of a project should be dependent on the process. The process should not be forced upon the outcome.

Interactive Spaces: WHEE-ling – Be Part of the Art (with SUHWEE)

WHEE-LING
by Lim Su Hwee & Sim Xin Feng

Description
What happens when you take an everyday object such as a pair of bicycle wheels to the streets? As its name suggests, WHEE-ling is an interactive piece of work that aims to create a fun experience between the two (or more) people interacting with two bicycle wheels. Many may remember being fascinated by everyday objects as a child. Building castles in the air and imagining things as they never were used to be a favourite pastime. WHEE-ling explores kinesthetic, audio and visual aspects of fun and gives individuals interacting with the wheels a chance to reminisce their childhood.

Process: Lessons Learnt

1. Don’t think too much
We faced some problems at the beginning while we were brainstorming. We came up with many ideas but none of them appealed to us and it was quite demoralising. We realised we might have been overthinking the project brief and causing ourselves unnecessary pain.

2. Expand on existing ideas
Another learning takeaway was that we should not be too quick to dismiss an idea even if it is not working out. Sometimes, expanding on an idea is a better solution than thinking of a new one altogether.

3. Sometimes the idea is right beside you
The idea came about when we saw a pair of bicycle wheels in class and some bells and decided to expand on this.

4. Time is money
At one point, we had to choose between spending more time looking for cheaper alternatives (for the ribbons so we can get more in terms of quantity) or save time by spending more (on lesser ribbons). In the end, our choice to spend more on less did not turn out too bad!

5. Being observant pays off
We beta-tested the experiment on ourselves and a few of our ADM friends and found that they were quite receptive to the wheel. We also improved on our little spinning wheels so that users will have  a more comfortable experience.

The Experiment
When the wheels were first brought into the space, people were mostly afraid of destroying the wheels. However, the kids who played with it first showed how fun it could be.

A few of the bells fell off the wheel because it wasn’t secured tightly enough.
Kids proved to be the best at play! They didn’t hold back as much as the adults did.
Guess adults do have a little kid in them too!

It is quite sad to see that many of the users held back in interacting with the wheels. Many of them just followed what the previous pair did and did not vary much. We sometimes had to tell them what they can do to motivate them to have fun. The kids, however, were more experimental and came up with different suggestions on how to play with it. One used the wheels to play limbo and even wanted to play jump rope with them!

We also found that the use of bells to create sounds morphed the space into something else. The sounds interacted with the people around and brought them to the space. Overall it was an exciting experience for both of us!

[Final Project] Afterthoughts: The Less Awkward Conversation Starter

Beginning: Low Fidelity Prototype
I had some difficulties at the beginning trying to find the right size for my device. I was not sure if this will be portable enough for users to carry it around. The first low fidelity prototype failed miserably because it could not close as the paper GSM was too high.

I worked on another piece and it was better but could still be improved as the top cover was lopsided and could not fit into the base perfectly (problem with the size and paper thickness).

Problems with Questions
I looked up some of the ways one could start conversing with one another about topics such as end-of-life issues and found that it was quite difficult to implement it into the device right at the start of the project.

References
https://www.ghdonline.org/end-of-life-conversations/discussion/initiating-end-of-life-care-conversations/
https://thedenverhospice.org/simple-questions-start-end-life-conversation-elderly-loved-one/

I decided to work on simpler questions first and created a question bank for this device.

Some of the questions in the recording

I was also recording and editing some of the questions in the question bank so that I could test use it on the patch.

Connecting to the Patch: Problems

1. Audio Output
I ran into some problems with the portability of this device. I realised that I had not planned for the sound output for it and could not find a way to connect speakers. Trying to resolve this problem cost me a lot of time, as I started to try to find ways to connect the phone to the Max MSP patch, thinking that it could resolve the problem. After weeks of mulling over this problem, I decided I would just use the Max MSP “Audio Option” to connect to external speakers.

Thinking back I should have continued working on other parts of the patch, such as continuing with the recording of the voice patch and brainstorming on connecting with the patch.



2. Random Selection of Questions
I managed to resolve the looping and random selection of the audio files using the random integer generator on Max. I tested on 11 files and I think with more files the random selection will work better.

Putting Together the Device

Counters

Base

For the base of the template, I used a 250GSM paper folded into the size of the box to create the casing of the device.

3. Problem with the pressure

Creating the device also brought about some new problems. The counters were not effective in creating enough pressure for the pressure pad to detect it underneath the separator. Even without the separator, the pad could  only detect very little of the pressure and it was a hit or miss.

4. Problem with the Connection
I also had some problems with connecting the pressure pads (using around 4) to the device which rendered the entire device useless. I have no idea why I could not connect to my computer although I could do that previously. I tried several ways of connecting such as changing the part numbers, but I still could not get a reading from the pressure pad though a constant flow of numbers appear under the inspector (when connected to “print”).

Sound files: Sample 11 files


Moving on
As this project is a semi-completed project, I would like to carry on exploring new ways to work things out. Although I was given a long time to complete this project, I was too focused on minute details and lost sight of the larger picture, which may also be the main cause of why so many other unforeseen circumstances appeared. I was overly confident that the patch which had worked before would work again. However, was proven wrong at the last minute prior to the submission.

Moving forward, I should spend more time making sure that the patch was constantly working because it was still the core of the device. I tested the patch a few times before embarking on the other parts of the project and only checked back again at the end of the project (which was too late). I guess this is also the problem of form versus function for me, because I was obsessed over the form and did not foresee the problems that would come with the functionality of the project.

I think I can explore more using Arduino, buttons and speaker output and sensors for this project. The pressure pad is not really working very well and is causing more problems than necessary. I think I want to also try to see how this project can initiate conversations with the elderly regarding end-of-life issues because that was what I had originally set out to accomplish.

Final Broadcasting: O$P$

Title
Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI GAOGAO PTE. LTD. right now. Help is always available.

Description
Our broadcast is about two civilians that owe a huge amount of money to an infamous loan shark organisation, Wu Long. The duo had to find enough money around the place so that they could pay the head of the loan shark organisation the total amount of money they had borrowed from him. The debtors had a buffer time of about 5 minutes to collect as much money as they could or hide, after which the loan sharks would start chasing them down. Will the debtors be able to collect enough money before the time run out?

In the live stream, Cher See and Xin Feng were role playing as the infamous loan sharks while Joan and Hannah were role playing as the civilians. The civilians’ mission was to locate all the hidden envelopes that contain money, finding every possible areas that had the hidden stash of money. The head of the loan shark, Long Ge (aka Cher See) had dispatched an underling, Ah Feng (aka Xin Feng) to find the two civilians to pressure them to pay back the money they owe. Joan managed to find the envelopes hidden around the area but was caught by Ah Feng shortly after she found the third envelope. She was brought to Long Ge to check on the amount of money she had collected. Joan had to wait for Hannah to find the remaining amount of money that was escalating every 10 mins. On the other hand, Hannah had to go around and beg people for money so that she could pay back her debts while finding ways to escape the loan sharks. After finding enough money, Joan asked Hannah to come find Long Ge to return back the remaining sum. In the end, both civilians were able to pay back what they had borrowed from the loan sharks.

Result of the Live Stream

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation (PART 2)

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Know someone who is in need of money? Contact the WULONG JIJI …

a video stream about two debtors on the road to repaying their debts to a infamous loan shark organisation (Part 03)

Posted by Goh Chersee on Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Source of other Live Streams:
https://www.facebook.com/sim.xinfeng/videos/10155422573456888/
https://www.facebook.com/joan.li.165/videos/10155661151293819/
https://www.facebook.com/joan.li.165/videos/10155661214643819/


Pre-Stream: Practice Makes Perfect
Role-playing as one of the loansharks for this live stream was quite a different experience compared to the  previous live streams. I am not sure if it was because I have become used to live streaming class activities but taking on a new character made the process a lot less awkward for me. I did some research on how a loanshark should look like and behave before the actual streaming. Being a loanshark is tough. The dressing, language and attitude takes time to hone and “naturalise”. Our loanshark boss and runner takes on a stereotypical Chinese-speaking Ah Beng and Ah Lian (male and female gangsters). I thought about what topics a loanshark would talk about in a conversation, such as going to the Siam Diu (Thai Disco), ogling at “chiobus and shuaiges” (pretty ladies and handsome men), taking smoke breaks and speaking in dialect.

Besides preparing for my character, we also printed notes and hid them around places in the school. Some of these places had relation to the classes we have taken in ADM (e.g. collaborating with Randall and hiding an envelope near the Bodhi Tree – Sujatha will be so proud of us).

Secret Hiding Place: Randall

This allowed us to rig the game by laying traps for the debtors to fall into, much like how loansharks operate their businesses in real life. My advice to everyone: Don’t borrow from loansharks.

In-Stream: The Show Must Go On
I guess one of the things we have learnt in this module is to embrace the technical difficulties that the medium may bring. Jon Cates’ incorporation of glitches in his work remains an important reminder while we were streaming. We faced many lag time and issues with the broadcast but it was less of a frustrating experience compared to the first few times. When faced with connection issues, we had to improvise and we covered it up by saying it was because we had not upgraded our surveillance.

One learning takeaway is the importance of ensuring you stay in character because no matter what problems we face, the show must still go on.

To quote the Second Front at the Networked Conversations:

Jeremy Owen Turner: everyone can be a performance artist in Second Life
Patrick Lichty: everyone IS a performance artist in Second Life.

The experience with the live stream just goes to show that everyone can be a performance artist, regardless of the medium because we are taking on many personalities with the growth of social media.

Post-Stream: Effects of the Virtual on Reality & Vice Versa
The live stream helped me better understand the work that Second Front does in Second Life. Some of the issues that they have brought up in the performances in Second Life can also parallel to the issues we tried to bring up in our live stream. The debtors, Hannah and Joan, mentioned about how their friends lent them money without a second thought. Some were also willing to lend them $50 without questioning the reasoning behind it. I am not sure if this was because we all knew each other but I question how much of this experience can be related to real life.

The more technology advances, the more responsibility we have in ensuring that our actions in the virtual space do not affect others and ourselves reality. Although we are aware that both spaces are vastly different, our actions in the virtual world still have impact on the real world. For myself, I was struggling to switch between my character in the live stream and my real self. As the loanshark, I was rather offensive in my body language and my speech. Many of the passerby looked at me and some were shocked to hear what I was saying. I could not apologise or stop the stream to explain myself because it would be disruptive to the live stream.

Conclusion
Social Broadcasting allows us to wear many skins and explore the infinite possibilities of the virtual world. This has been quite an eye-opening experience because it makes me question some concepts relating to virtual reality. Through this project I can better relate to the work that Second Front does and how much preparation work they have put into each of their performances. Although the medium is different from that of a real theatre performance, the hard work behind the scenes is still very real.

What makes these live streams appealing is the fact that it is done in real time, and none of us can predict what the outcome will be. That, is what makes it so exciting to watch and be a part of.

Watch our hiding places: https://www.facebook.com/sim.xinfeng/videos/10155422667756888/


References

Giannachi, Gabriella. Virtual theatres: an introduction. London: Routledge, 2005.

“NETWORKED CONVERSATIONS: An Online Interview with Second Front.” Interview by Randall Packer. Second Front ::: Networked Conversations. October 28, 2017. Accessed November 11, 2017.

 

 

The Telematic Stroll: Searching for a Friend

One of the main takeaways for this mini-project was that an outcome of a project can be very different from the original concept. Due to problems with internet and feasibility, Chersee and I had to make adjustments to our original idea of taking the train from each end of Singapore and traveling  to the midpoint of the East-West Line.

The public transport is a place where people come and go. It is where you can catch a glimpse of the every day Singaporean going about their daily activities. A bus jerk or a train delay is usually enough for two people beside each other to start a conversation.

Our inspiration came from sunrise/sunset in Singapore. Just look at the sunset at Tuas Link taken a few weeks ago. Plus has anyone ever seen the end of the MRT tracks?

Despite all that conceptualisation, we decided we would do our live broadcast later in the morning at a different location because starting out from Tuas Link at 6:30AM was no joke. We also had to shorten our journey drastically due to shortage of mobile data (poor students). Another major change was that we decided to take bus instead as we felt that going through the underpass on the train will cause connectivity issues. As the bus will be going through the residential areas, we felt that it would be more personal.

Here is the result of our telematic stroll:

East and west

Posted by Goh Chersee on Friday, 3 November 2017

I took some screenshots during the live stream and found several similarities although we were in different places. I think one of the common issues Singaporeans face is the ever-changing landscape of the country and parts of Singapore are starting to look more and more like one another. Just by looking at the following screenshots, can you tell where these were taken?

 

 

Embracing Unexpected
We started our broadcast at around 10:15am and I was disappointed because my bus took a longer time to arrive and we could not sync our streams on the bus. I also tried to align the scenery on my end with Chersee’s but I feel that accidental shots were the best ones (see above).

I wish we could have interacted with the people around us because I was so engrossed with the live stream I forgot to take notice of my environment. I think our stream may have ended as a something else completely: Searching for a Friend.

Randall told us about  Marina Abramovic’s The Great Wall walk  and we took the opportunity to look it up. We originally planned to meet in between our location but did not really set the actual point on the map. This caused us to have problems trying to find each other at the end of the stream. We also tried to talk as little as possible or use Chinese to interact with each other just to experiment with how things would turn out, using what we see in the live stream as clues to lead us to where the other party was. I guess this also resulted in a strange ending to our live stream. The lagging also played a role in prolonging the search but it was nonetheless a fun experience navigating around the place.

Real Consequences
As I was walking around, I was shocked by a stranger when he waved in front of my phone. It was only then that I realise that I was too focused on my phone to notice the environment around me. I guess this is  an issue everyone faces – too much technology causing a reduction in social interactivity. This very much reminded me of Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? Where the runners of the real world faces very real consequences of hazards in the real world, unlike players of the game who are seated behind the computer screens in the comfort of being indoors. If I had been crossing the road focused on finding Chersee and not noticing my environment, I may have had to face serious consequences.

I did not expect to have such fun with the telematic stroll as it helped me better understand some of the concepts I learnt. I look forward to see how advancement in technology can further change the way performance art is presented.

Research Critique: Networked Conversation with Second Front

It’s a perfect Second Front event if we crashed the system. (laughs)
– Bibbe Hansen (when Randall’s Adobe Connect crashed)

The conversation with Second Front gave me new perspective on the topic of Performance Art. It was quite exciting to put a face to their avatars as if it was the first time I was meeting an online friend over a Skype call.


When the host’s application crashes…

I once created an account on Second Life because my friends were playing but my account did not last for more than a day (preferred playing MMORPGs). Watching Second Front’s work made me realize that the avatars we have online is a performance in itself. We are performing that character when we create one, we take on the persona and create our personal narrative around it. In some ways we are really living a “second life” in that sense.

They talked about their characters as extensions of themselves, such as Bibbe’s portrayal of herself as a “comic character” that she aspired to be as a child. It was interesting to find out how Second Front came about. The topic on the first life and second life made me think about posthumanism.  Virtual worlds are starting to play more significant roles in our every day lives. Being a performer in the Second Life and in reality is something that blurs the boundaries between “Reality” and “Virtual Reality”. If they are performing both online and offline, are they being themselves on both platforms? Are we all performers online and offline?

Several questions on the role of the audience is also questioned during the interview and it made me wonder if performance art is audience-centric? How does such a tool work on a platform such as Second Life? How does the role of the audience change on a virtual platform?

This conversation has made me question a lot of aspects of a virtual platform that I have not previously thought about. I would really like to watch one of their performances live. Are they still recruiting members?